Even though China did not have a diplomatic relationship with Saudi Arabia until 1990, ties between the two countries have expanded rapidly since then. Energy products have formed the basis of a bilateral relationship that has, by and large, been of mutual benefit to both sides.

This report identifies the management of one conundrum above all else as the key to the BRI’s fortunes from a Chinese perspective: the ability to retain sufficient support from the world’s governments and institutions as a means of both underpinning its business case and heading off the possibility of geo-economic and geostrategic competition.

In 2013, China launched two new projects – the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank – to lead regional efforts to plug infrastructure gaps. These projects pose a dilemma for Australian policymakers - how to actively participate in these important efforts, while managing a range of potential governance, institutional and geopolitical...

There is a link between China’s plans to return to a position of global centrality and its food security. Beijing’s food security strategy has shifted toward overseas investments.

The New Zealand China Council (NZCC) has commissioned this report to set out a range of options to expand New Zealand’s “connectivity” with China and other countries along the Belt and Road. The options are not intended to be exhaustive but an illustrative indication of what could be developed between New Zealand and China working...